


love comes in at the eyes

by asunthr



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, I want to be them, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, no beta we die like Glenn, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asunthr/pseuds/asunthr
Summary: Sylvain and the ways Felix looks at him.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	love comes in at the eyes

Felix didn't always like eye contact. Even when he was talking to someone it wasn't a guarantee that he'd look them directly in the eye regardless of how much he knew them. Sylvain knew this fact about him very well, so he took every little look Felix sent his way as something deliberate and meaningful, like every look was a gift. Sometimes, it was better than a physical touch. Other times, it meant more than what words could ever convey.

On his end, Sylvain loved to look. He could spend hours staring at Felix to study the planes of his face, the angle of his cheekbones, the slope of his nose, the gentle curve of his lips… It was endless, and that was only his face. But his absolute favorite thing to look at—and he had many favorite things about Felix—were his eyes. They were the color of amber, of darkened honey, of the dying sun. Ever since he was a boy, they always contained a fire within. It may have wavered and flickered through the years, but like an eternal flame it always remained. In battle, it was a raging blaze. But with Sylvain, it was the warmth of a hearth. With Sylvain, that fire was like a torch guiding him home. And home he was.

In all the moments, from the good to the bad and everything in between, Sylvain would look Felix in the eye and capture what they were really hiding within. The whole range of emotions he carefully repressed behind every scowl and every slash of his blade would be exposed to the ones who knew what to search for. And Sylvain had always been observant, especially when it came to Felix.

Sylvain knew the way Felix's eyes would glow in battle, as if they were alight with the anger and frustration he harbored all these years. They were like a charged lightning spell, powerful and capable of striking you bare in a mere moment. Even during the silence, during that brief time period before the enemy's battle cries filled the air and the ground shook with the thundering of armored boots and hooves, Felix's eyes were as hardened and true as the sword in his hand and ready to get the job done no matter what it took. It was captivating, really, how devoted he was in battle. How devoted he was in general.

Sylvain didn't miss the way Felix's eyes would flit to his every now and then too, even if they were both dodging blows that got too close or fending off soldiers foolish enough to face them. Somehow, amidst it all, the sharpness in Felix's eyes would soften just enough to wordlessly ask Sylvain, _Are you okay?_ And even if Sylvain would flash a genuine smile and send a thumbs up, Felix would still keep him in his peripherals just to make sure.

But when Sylvain wasn't okay, Felix's eyes would never fail to make Sylvain feel like he was more than he thought he could ever be. They'd still be hardened, they'd still have that anger along with an added layer of annoyance, but underneath, they'd be flooded with concern. The small crease in his brow would give it away and even if Felix would try to hide it, Sylvain would have already seen more than enough. Even if the words that left Felix's mouth would be any variation of _reckless, weak, inattentive, I could've handled that, don't be so careless next time_ , his eyes always contained the truth. _Don't worry me like that, let me protect you, I can't lose you, have you forgotten our promise?_

If Sylvain's pain wasn't physical, Felix's eyes were calmer, sadder, but never any less worried. Felix never pushed him to talk, nor did he ever claim to understand everything that was going on in Sylvain's head. Felix would stay by his side instead, his eyes searching his quietly as if to say, _I'm here, I'm not going anywhere_. It would be just one look, and for Sylvain it was more than enough.

Just like how Felix knew when Sylvain wasn't at his best with just a look, Sylvain knew the same about him as well. Although Felix would never admit aloud that he needed anyone, Sylvain saw how he truly felt. After all, Felix was a crybaby growing up. The red rings around his eyes were a familiar sight to Sylvain. As he grew older Felix got better at keeping things inside, but he never quite learned how to hide the distance in them, at least to Sylvain's trained eye. Felix's eyes were like some gravitational pull, calling out to him and reaching out the same way a boy would reach out from the bowels of a well to the one thing he always felt safe with.

Of course, those were the moments when Felix really didn't want to make eye contact with anyone else, as if he were afraid they'd see through the years of steel and lightning he put up around himself. But Sylvain had always been there through it all. He was there when Felix was unguarded, carefree, and happy. He was there when Felix began to build his walls and push people away. And for that, somehow… it was like Felix had built his own entrance for Sylvain, as if to say, _These walls aren't for you. You're always welcome here. You've always seen who I really am._

When Felix was happy, which was already quite a rare moment in itself, Sylvain always wished he were the best artist in Fódlan just to be able to capture even a glimmer of light in his eyes. It didn't matter if he was the one directly making Felix snicker or if it was someone else, Sylvain loved to witness the way his eyes would crinkle up at the corners ever so slightly. He looked for it in every happy moment. He'd always glance at Felix to check if he was smiling, and sometimes, some blessed times, he'd see that Felix was already looking at him back like he had the exact same idea. Caught, Felix's eyes would dart away and a faint dusting of a blush would spread across his cheeks, but the moment was already there preserved in Sylvain's mind and heart.

Nights were one of Sylvain's favorite moments too, even if it took him a while to admit that to himself. It was hard to at first, since he was no stranger to seeing heat in people's eyes. They were all the same: pupils blown out with desire underneath hooded lids, furrowed eyebrows resting atop slow blinks. But he knew that none of those people ever really wanted him. They only wanted what he could give them. Their eyes never lingered on his. They never made him feel like a night was ever more than what it was.

But with Felix, it was different. Felix was always, always looking directly at _him_. Even if they'd rake over his body and leave trails of fire, they'd always flit back up to meet his gaze as if to say, _I want you. You. All of you._ He wasn't there for a passing sensation, he was there for Sylvain, and only Sylvain. And against all odds, he kept coming back to him too.

It wasn't just having Felix look at him that way that made Sylvain feel things he never thought he was capable of before. It was also right after, when the world was quiet for a bit and it felt like they were the only ones left, that really held Sylvain captive. In moments meant only for him, Felix's brows would be free from tension and his eyes would flutter open, his long eyelashes framing warm irises that kept Sylvain rooted in place. They'd fix upon him with a glazed look, staying, until the corners crinkled with his half smile and they'd shut again with a ghost of a laugh before Felix would tug Sylvain down to meet his lips.

"You're staring," Felix said one night, the glow from the fireplace reflecting in his eyes and dancing across his face.

Sylvain grinned lazily. "Do you want me to stop?"

Felix scowled, but his cheeks were awfully pink. Cute.

"Whatever," he said, shifting away, but not entirely. "What do you even see?"

"In your eyes? The world, baby. Everything. Especially your _soul_ ," Sylvain drawled as he reached over to bring Felix back to face him. "Isn't that what all the novels say? The eyes are the window to the soul?"

"Ugh, why did I even ask?" Felix groaned, throwing his arm over his face.

Sylvain didn't move, and eventually Felix peeked out from under the crook of his elbow. "There you are," Sylvain said. He gently pried Felix's arm away. "Let me throw that question back at you. What do you see in mine?"

"I'm not looking at you if you're going to start batting your eyelashes at me again."

"I won't. Honest question."

To prove it, Sylvain kept his face relaxed for Felix, whose gaze eventually softened as he began to search his eyes. There was nothing but silence between them, but there was something palpable in the air that lingered in the closeness and shared warmth of their bodies. Neither of them moved nor said a word, but Sylvain always felt like an entire conversation, an entire embrace, an entire kiss could be exchanged with just a look with Felix.

Sylvain couldn't help it—just a few seconds in, he instinctively smiled with the way Felix was looking at him so intently.

And instead of averting his gaze or pushing Sylvain's face away, Felix let that sarcastic smirk of his creep across his lips. "Your soul," he answered.

Sylvain laughed deeply, his head dipping down against Felix's chest for a moment before he teased, "Aw, I was hoping you were going to say you saw yourself, because then I'd be able to go, 'That's right, eyes for you only!'"

Felix scoffed. "Good thing I chose not to then."

"Heh, it's okay. I know," Sylvain said. He kissed Felix before settling in beside him and hugging him closer. "You indulge me enough already."

**Author's Note:**

> damn… what's it like to be in love huh? like is sylvain the one in love with felix or is it me??? there i was waxing poetic about a 2d man's eyes. orbs. peepers.
> 
> come hang with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/asunthr) if you're STILL hung up over sylvix even after what feels like a decade


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